


Finding Home in Hawkins

by alexeideservedbetter



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Cheesy, F/M, Mileven, Mostly fluff though, Some Humor, some minor angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexeideservedbetter/pseuds/alexeideservedbetter
Summary: After El’s mom Terry leaves her and Hopper to fend for themselves, Hopper decides it’s time for a fresh start. They move back to his hometown of Hawkins, Indiana and Hopper takes a job there as chief of police. He rekindles his love with his high school sweetheart, Joyce Byers, and the two marry. El was finally getting accustomed to life with just her and her dad but now there are two step-brothers and a step-mother in the equation. To make matters more interesting, she finds herself crushing on one of Will’s friends.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper & Mike Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper
Comments: 9
Kudos: 69





	1. Settling In

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is the first fanfiction that I’ve written in years. Stranger Things really inspired me to get back into writing. I love writing AUs for Mileven and this one includes an interesting family dynamic and backstory. Please excuse any minor grammar mistakes or tense slip ups. I hope you enjoy this story and please comment or leave kudos if you feel so inclined :) Happy holidays!

In the summer of 1984, El and her dad moved back to Hawkins about two months after her mother had left them. No note, no warning, just gone. Terry had always been a bit of a wildflower, going with the flow and following her intuition. El always admired that about her mother until she left. While El was always closer with her dad, she never thought her mom would be the type to just take off. Hopper and his wife always had a fairly good relationship, too.

There were times, though, when Terry sat at the kitchen table and got lost in her daydreams. She dreamt of becoming an artist. Being a stay at home mom wasn’t the ultimate goal. Eventually the facade must’ve become too much for Terry because she just took off. 

The disappearance hit El and Hop equally hard. They thought they would never get through it, until many nights passed, and they woke up on the other side of grief. The two were no longer sad, but angry. Everything in the house had Terry’s touch, from the paintings in the hall to the decor in the living room. After two months of being haunted by the leftover memories in their home, her dad decided it was time for them to get a fresh start. Hopper took a job as police chief in his hometown of Hawkins, Indiana, and the two were on their way to a new life. 

El adjusted quickly and made one good friend within the first few weeks of eighth grade. The first friend she made was a fiery red-head named Maxine, who preferred to be called “Max.” She was a tomboy who enjoyed skateboarding. El was frightened by the girl’s “screw-off” demeanor and didn’t expect that the two would have anything common. 

On one of the first days of eighth grade, El decided to read a book in homeroom. She was still somewhat unsure of her new surroundings and socially awkward. Much to El’s surprise, the red head sat next to her. A popular girl named Stacey taunted the new girl from behind for her studiousness and called her a nerd. 

“Well at least she has enough braincells to read full sentences, Stacey.” Max quipped as she glared at the cruel blonde. 

“Ugh!” Stacey stuck up her nose and went back to talking with her equally malicious and vile friends. 

“Thanks.” El smiled at Max graciously, flattered that someone she barely knew had defended her. 

“No problem. I’m Max, Max Mayfield.” She replied with a small smile as she introduced herself. 

“I know who you are. I’m El Hopper.” She gave her a friendly wave. 

The two became fast friends and were inseparable after just a few weeks.   
  
———

A few years later in 1988 Hopper married his high school sweetheart, Joyce Byers. El was happy that her dad had moved on, but feared change. Joyce had two sons of her own, from a previous marriage. Apparently Joyce’s ex-husband left her to fend for herself while the boys were still young. 

Will was her age and she barely knew him except for the occasional wave in the hallway after their parents had started dating. Jonathan was in college in New York so El only met him once at the wedding a few weeks ago. Will seemed nice enough but he was reserved, much like El. 

In the early summer of 1988, the Hoppers moved into the Byer’s house after a spring wedding. El was assigned to Jonathan’s bedroom since he rarely came home these days. It was one of the first days of summer after the move when someone she had never met before walked through the front door. El was curled up on the couch on Saturday afternoon, with a good book in hand, as usual. 

“Will?” The voice questioned. A tall teenage boy with dark, wavy hair walked towards the living room. He hadn’t even bothered to knock on the front door and entered the house like it was his own. 

El was taken aback by the boy’s unexpected presence and her eyes shot up from her book to see who it was. She recognized him as one of Will’s friends from school. 

Mike glanced around the living room searching for Will, but much to his surprise his eyes found a pretty girl with light brown hair, instead. When their eyes met, El blushed nervously and Mike’s jaw dropped slightly in awe. He wondered if this was the step-sister Will had mentioned to him once or twice. 

After taking a moment to stare like an idiot, Mike tried to gather his words. 

“Oh hi, sorry for barging in like that. Will invited me over.” He gave her an apologetic smile. 

“That’s okay. Will is out right now grocery shopping with Joyce.” She explained. 

“You must be El. I’m Mike.” He plopped himself down on the couch next to her. 

“Yes that’s me. Nice to meet you, Mike. I think I’ve seen you around school with Will once or twice.” She smiled at him slightly but continued to read her book. 

“Yeah? Cool.” Mike smiled, a bit triumphant that _she_ had noticed _him._ “What are you reading?” 

“Pride and Prejudice.” El answered quickly.   
“Oh what’s that about?” Mike wondered.   
“It’s about two people from different social classes who fall in love despite their original distaste for each other. Back then it was very taboo to marry someone beneath your social standing.” She replied. El knew the plot line by heart after having read it a couple of times already. 

“Nice.” Mike cleared his throat, he had no idea what to say to a girl this pretty. His experience with girls in general was very limited. Mike had one short term girlfriend at the beginning of sophomore year, but that over six months ago, now. 

“Do you like to read?” El wondered, she was shocked as the words came out of her mouth. Usually she kept to herself and didn’t bother to socialize beyond basic pleasantries, especially during a good read. 

“Uhm yeah. Mostly sci-fi stuff like Will, though.” Mike explained.   
“I figured. You don’t exactly strike me as a romance novel fanatic.” El chuckled quietly.  
“I resent that but you’re not wrong.” Mike retorted and smiled at her. She smiled back. 

“Will didn’t tell me much about you...he didn’t mention that you well..you don’t look like how I expected you to look.” Mike stumbled over his words. 

“Will and I are both quiet. We get along alright but don’t talk much. How did you expect me to look?” She raised an eyebrow curiously. 

“I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t expecting you to be so pretty.” Mike blurted out the compliment and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“Oh.” She nodded slowly, a bit dumbfounded. El didn’t notice until Max pointed it out but boys had started to notice her more lately. El couldn’t understand why she would draw anyone’s attention. 

“Thanks I think.” She replied hesitantly, unsure if he meant that as a compliment or not. 

“Yeah sure.” Mike smiled at her sweetly and let his gaze linger for a moment too long. 

The rickety sound of the front screen door alerted El and Mike that someone else had arrived home. Will and Joyce entered the house with groceries and started to put their bags down on the kitchen table. Joyce saw Mike and El seated on the couch in the living room, due to the somewhat open concept main floor. 

“Oh hi you two!” Joyce immediately greeted the two with a warm smile. Mike now turned his attention to Will and Joyce as they settled into the kitchen. 

“Hi Joyce, hey Will.” El replied kindly. Will simply nodded in response. 

“Hey man.” Mike said to Will.  
“Hey Mike!” Will answered. He and Joyce began to unpack groceries and placed them in either the pantry or the fridge. Mike politely smiled at El before he dismissed himself to help the Byers unpack the remaining groceries in the kitchen. After all the groceries were put away, Mike and Will walked back through the living room to get to the stairwell. 

“Nice chatting with you, El. Hope you enjoy the book.” Mike commented with a soft smile.   
“Thanks.” She smiled back at him shyly. 

Will shot Mike a suspicious look and the two headed upstairs. Once they were in Will’s bedroom, Mike decided not to dance around the topic. 

“Dude, why didn’t you tell me that your step-sister looked like that?!” Mike questioned.   
“Like what?” Will was oblivious.   
“I mean have you seen her?!” Mike inquired again, in total disbelief.   
“Oh! Right. Yeah I guess she’s kind of pretty.” Will shrugged.   
“Kind of? She’s gorgeous!” Mike exclaimed, clearly still freaking out about this.   
“Yes Mike, I get the point.” Will rolled his eyes, not interested in his friend’s dramatics at this time. 

“Well does she have a boyfriend?” He inquired.   
“I don’t know much about her. We just met a few months ago.” Will admitted.   
“Can you find out for me?” Mike pleaded.   
“Uh yeah, I guess.” The shorter boy said reluctantly.   
“Also you should take some time to get to know her, she seems pretty cool.” He smiled, daydreaming about the possibility of getting to know El more.   
“Okay I get it. You have a thing for El. Can we move on now?” Will rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah okay.” Mike sighed in defeat as the two started to work on their latest D&D campaign.


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Max work hard to embarrass their friends. Will by accident, Max on purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for me to post another chapter! I’ve been hypercritical of my work lately but decided to share it with you all anyways. Thank you all for the comments and kudos! It means a lot. Please let me know what you think :)

Just about a week later El sat on the couch, curled up with a book yet again. Will came down the stairs and decided to do the due diligence that he owed Mike. 

“Uh hey El.” Will said as he sat down next to her on the couch, awkwardly.   
“Oh hi Will.” She gave him a small smile and lowered her book slightly to be polite.   
“How’s it going?” He tried to keep the conversation flowing.   
“Not bad, you?” El replied.   
“Good, I’m good, thanks.” Will answered. This was usually the extent of their conversations but Will had promised Mike that he would try to see if she was single.   
“So do you have any fun plans this weekend? Any hot dates?” He asked trying to sound cool but ultimately failing. 

El’s eyes widened at the question. “What?! The only “hot dates” I have are with the fictional characters in my romance novels.” She chuckled at her own joke. 

“Oh okay, cool.” Will nodded and smiled.   
El wondered why he would ask her that. She always thought Will swung the other way but maybe not. 

“Did one of your friends send you to investigate my love life? Dustin was looking at me funny the other day.” She admitted, trying to figure out the logic behind his random question. 

“That obvious, huh? They all kind of have a thing for you. Well except Lucas, he’s more into your friend.” Will snorted. 

“I’m surprised they’re not all into her instead. I’ve never really thought of myself as attractive.” She shrugged and frowned a bit. 

“I don’t really think of you that way because we’re practically related now, but you are definitely attractive. Mike thinks you’re really pretty.” Will was eager to cheer El up so he let Mike’s attraction to her slip. 

“Thanks Will. And oh, now that I think of it he did say something kind of weird to me last week..said he was expecting me to be ugly or something. Wasn’t sure if he meant it as a compliment or not.” El chuckled at the memory. 

“Yeah Mike isn’t exactly a lady killer, but he’s nice.” Will tried to advocate for his friend. 

“I think so, too.” She replied quietly, pulling her book up a bit higher to hide the blush on her cheeks. 

———-

A few days later Max and El decided to go to Benny’s together for lunch. It was a Wednesday afternoon and Max had just finished her shift at the video store. El had a part time summer job too, she worked at the Gap. The two girls sat down across from each other at a table with a booth. They had just started to look at the menus when their waiter approached. 

“Oh hey El.” A familiar voice called but she couldn’t put her finger on who it was. 

She looked up from the menu and recognized the guy immediately. “Hi Mike. I didn’t know you worked here.” El said with a small smile. 

“Yeah... By the time I decided to apply for a summer job all the good ones at the mall were taken. Don’t tell Benny that, though.” He whispered the second part and shot her a smile.

“Your secret is safe with me.” She smiled but her eyes avoided his nervously as she glanced back down at the menu. 

“Uh hello?” Max intervened, wondering if El was ever going to introduce them. 

“Oh hi I’m Mike, Will’s friend.” He interjected and gave a small wave. 

“I’m Max, nice to meet you Mike. Can I have a cola, please?” Max wasn’t a fan of pleasantries. 

“Max!” El lectured her friend. “Sorry about her.” El sighed. 

“It’s fine. What would you like to drink?” Mike seemed unfazed. 

“I’ll have a water please.” She responded politely.

“Coming right up.” He shot her an additional smile before he walked away. 

“What was that about?” Max inquired. 

“What do you mean?” El answered confused. 

“Oh Mike..your secret is safe with me!” Max adjusted her voice to make it sound high pitched and clasped her hands together over her heart, while batting her eyelashes. 

“I don’t sound like that.” El rolled her eyes. 

“You like him!” Max accused.

“Keep your voice down! I just met the guy.” El explained in a whisper, exasperated by her friend’s accusation. 

“Well it’s clear he has eyes for you.” The red head said bluntly. 

“He doesn’t know me yet either so how could he like me?” El snorted. 

“Fine. If he doesn’t like you, he at least has the hots for you.” Max clarified her previous statement. 

El spotted Mike out of the corner of her eye and glared at Max, silently pleading with her to shut up about it. Mike returned with their drinks and placed them down on the table. 

“Can you help clear up a little disagreement, Mike? El doesn’t believe you have the hots for her but I beg to differ.” Max smirked, totally trying to embarrass both Mike and El simultaneously. 

“Uh I..” Mike was taken aback and his eyes widened.  
“Max shut up! I’m sorry you don’t have to answer that.” El replied, her cheeks flushed a bright pink.   
“Uhm I think she’s really pretty.” He mumbled while he glanced at the floor, trying to hide how flustered he was.   
“Yeah?” El asked softly, and blushed even harder.   
“Yeah.” He looked up to meet her gaze and gave her a shy smile.   
“Thanks.” El returned the smile whole-heartedly. 

The two awkwardly smiled at each other for close to a minute before Max intervened again. “Okay now that that’s settled I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger with fries.” 

“Oh right.” Mike refocused and remembered he was at work. He wrote down her order. 

“I’ll have the waffles, please, with a side of fruit.” El tried her best to be polite despite the fact she was still a bit flustered. 

“Sure thing.” Mike left and put their orders in the back kitchen. 

“Okay so I was right.” Max smirked once Mike left.   
“Oh please you practically forced him to say it. I mean what was he going to say, no? Then he wouldn’t have received a good tip.” El reasoned.   
“Yeah yeah...whatever you say.” Max shook her head in disbelief. 

Their food was delivered without much of a wait and the two began to eat their meal, finally conversing about something that was not Mike—-much to El’s delight. 

Mike tried to be professional for the rest of the lunch shift and hoped that he hadn’t scared El away. He gave them some time to eat before eventually bringing them their check. Mike returned behind the counter, not wanting to rush them. 

Max put down half of the money plus a normal tip, and El put down the other half and a slightly larger tip. As the two girls began to exit the diner, El found herself turning back around to try to catch a glimpse of him on her way out. 

“Bye Mike.” She turned around slightly and called out to him just loud enough so he could hear her from behind the counter. El smiled shyly. 

“Oh bye El!” Mike replied with a smile and a small wave. 


	3. Stuck in the Middle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party heads to the arcade to blow off some steam. El deals with two romantic suitors and Mike fears his competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I’m sorry this took so long to update! I plan on trying to be better but I’ve been dealing with some stuff and lost my motivation lol. I plan on updating every week or two from this point forward. 
> 
> PS-The further I get into this story the more I realize the family dynamics aren’t as prevalent as I suspected they would be. Currently reworking later chapters to include more Hopper, Joyce, and Will.

Two days later Max was over El’s house and they sat on the couch in the living room. They always watched a movie on Friday nights. While Max and El had their routines, Will and Mike had theirs. Joyce and Hopper were out on a date but trusted the kids to behave themselves, (mostly.)

Someone knocked at the door and El got off the couch to answer it. Nervous butterflies filled her stomach when she opened the door only to reveal Mike Wheeler. 

“Oh hi. Will didn’t say anything about anyone coming over tonight..” El spoke and ran a hand through her hair, suddenly more aware of her appearance.  
“Hey El...yeah, the guys and I were supposed to hang at my place but my little sister is hosting a sleepover tonight.” Mike sighed, annoyed.  
“Oh. Sorry to hear that.” El nodded awkwardly and stepped aside so he could enter.  
“No worries.” He entered and smiled dopily at her for a few moments before he continued on, “Uhm I guess I’ll go upstairs to let Will know I’m here. Lucas and Dustin should be here soon, too.” 

“Oh joy.” Max crossed her arms and acted disgruntled. 

Mike went upstairs to grab Will and El returned to her spot on the couch next to Max. The red-head turned toward her friend with a smirk. “Did you see the way he just looked at you?”  
  
”What are you talking about?” El asked, confused.  
“Please! The love sick grin and puppy dog eyes are almost impossible to miss.” Max chuckled. El glared at Max but didn’t justify her comment with a verbal response.

A few minutes later, someone rang the doorbell. This time Will came down the stairs with Mike in tow to answer it. When he opened the door his two other friends, Dustin and Lucas stood there. 

“Oh hey guys. Come on in.” Will said politely. Dustin and Lucas entered and Will shut the door behind them.  
“Hello ladies.” Dustin smiled and nodded to El and Max politely.   
“Hi Dustin.” El replied somewhat reluctantly while Max simply groaned in frustration. 

“What are we doing tonight?” Lucas wondered. The guys formed a semi circle to discuss a game plan.   
“Well the living room is taken...so arcade?” Will suggested.   
“That sounds like a good idea.” Dustin answered.   
“Should we invite them?” Mike inquired in a whispered tone.   
“I don’t know, most girls don’t like the arcade.” Lucas replied quietly. 

“We’re sitting right here dumbass, and we can hear you, you know.” Max snorted.   
“My bad. So do you guys want to come or not?” He asked, more-so directing the question at Max.   
“It’s up to El.” The ginger shrugged.   
“I’m not very good at arcade games.” El mused and frowned slightly. 

“Oh well I can teach you if you want.” Dustin suggested quickly before Mike could get a word-in edgewise. The taller friend was annoyed that Dustin beat him to it so he decided to add that he could help her as well.   
  
“We both can.” Mike amended, awkwardly.   
“Yeah? I’d like that.” El smiled at Mike slightly before she got up. Max stood up as well and turned off the tv.

“Get ready to have your asses kicked by MadMax.” The red-head snorted.  
“Wait, you’re MadMax?! I’ve been trying to beat your high scores for months.” Lucas exclaimed.  
“That’s me.” She shrugged nonchalantly.

The group left the house and walked to Lucas’s car, because it was blocking Mike’s. 

“Dibs on shotgun!” Will exclaimed as he headed towards the front seat. Lucas got in on the driver’s side and Will sat on the passenger’s side. Max got in the backseat of the car first, followed by Dustin, El, and then Mike. 

“Well this is cozy.” Max said sarcastically, somewhat squished against the window. The backseat was meant for three people, not four. “Sorry if I’m squishing you.” El commented apologetically to the two male acquaintances she sat between.  
“It’s okay.” Mike smiled at her softly.”

”You can squish me anytime.” Dustin remarked, play-flirting. El forced an awkward half-smile but instinctively leaned closer to Mike, not wanting to give Dustin the wrong idea.

Mike sensed that she was uncomfortable. “Sorry about him. Dustin’s not one to hold back.” He whispered.  
“Hey, I heard that!” Dustin interjected.  
“It’s okay. I know he doesn’t mean any harm.” El replied, not bothering to whisper at this point, but not talking loudly either. 

After a few minutes of listening to the radio and talking about what games they would play, they arrived. Lucas parked the car and the party headed into the arcade. 

Once they were inside, the gang each put a few dollars into the coin machines to get some quarters for the arcade games. After they received their quarters, Lucas, Max, and Will took off to play Dragon’s Lair. Dustin and Mike stayed close to El. 

“Uhm so where should I start?” El asked.   
“How about we start with Pac Man? It’s a classic and hard to mess up.” Dustin suggested.   
“That’s a good idea.” Mike nodded.

The three of them walked over to the Pac Man game and Mike put some change in to play. “I’ll do the first level and you can play the second, okay?” Mike offered.

“Sounds good.” El replied and Mike pressed the start button to begin the first level. 

“Okay so the goal of the game is to not let Pac Man be in contact with the colorful ghosts. If you touch one of them, you lose a life. You should eat all of the dots before the end of the round. Pac Man can eat the ghosts and gain extra points but only if you eat an energizer first.” Dustin explained.

“Ah okay.” El nodded and watched Mike play intently. Mike quickly advanced to the next level without losing a life, and even managed to eat all of the ghosts. He stepped aside from the game so El could take a turn. 

“You’re up.” Mike said.   
“Okay..” She answered hesitantly as she took control of the joystick and began to play the second round. El’s eyes narrowed slightly and she focused on the game well, despite the fact Mike and Dustin both peered over her shoulder. 

She made it through the first round and only lost one life. She also was able to eat two of the ghosts.  
“Hey I did it!” El smiled proudly.  
“Yeah you did!” Dustin high-fived her before Mike could get a word in. Mike sighed, frustrated Dustin beat him to the chase, yet again.   
”You want to do the next one, Dustin?” El asked. Dustin nodded and played a round. He did just as well as Mike. It was clear that these first levels weren’t phasing them in the slightest.

“I’ve only gotten up to level 25 but Dustin is a bit better than me so I think he’s gotten closer to level 30.” Mike explained.  
“Well it seems like you’re both really good.” El smiled at Mike shyly.  
“Thanks.” Mike returned the grin.

Dustin finished the third level with a perfect score and Mike completed level 4 with a perfect score. Finally, it was El’s turn again. She was off to a rough start and had already lost one life this round by bumping into pinky, which meant they now only had one life left total. El was close to finishing the level when the blue ghost turned the corner and caught up with her, taking her last life. 

“Yikes.” She cringed slightly when she lost. “You can’t be an attractive female and a pro at video games. You’d be too powerful.” Dustin chuckled. 

“Well what about Max?” El crossed her arms.   
“Max is an exception.” Dustin shrugged.  
“Shut up, man. You did great, El.” Mike assured her with a warm smile.  
“Thanks.” El’s frustration with Dustin melted away upon seeing the taller boy’s grin.

“Do you want to go play something else?” Mike asked.   
“Yes.” She nodded, somewhat eagerly.  
Mike started to walk over to Dig Dug with El. “Thanks for the invite.” Dustin mumbled, as he put another quarter into Pac Man. 

Mike put a quarter into Dig Dug and began the first level. El stood by his side and watched him play the game, interested. He quickly beat the first few stages without breaking a sweat.

She loved the determination on his face when he tried not to get hit and the subtle satisfactory grin that appeared when he beat a stage. El observed him about fifty percent of the time and looked at the screen the rest of the time. 

“You want to try?” He asked and looked over at her.   
“No, I like watching you.” She smiled sweetly, somewhat entranced by the freckles that covered Mike’s nose and cheeks. For a moment, he smirked in amusement.  
Luckily El realized what she had said and quickly amended her statement.  
“...play! I mean I like watching you play.” She blushed.  
“Cool.” He grinned back at her, letting his gaze linger a bit longer than he should have, but then his smile turned into a frown. 

“Has Dustin said or mentioned anything unusual to you lately?” Mike wondered.   
“Well it’s Dustin so most of what he says is unusual.” El chuckled.   
“I mean like has he invited you to go somewhere with him?” He asked.   
“No...why?” She raised an eyebrow.   
“He mentioned something about wanting to, is all...” Mike shrugged.   
“Oh.” El nodded, still a bit confused.   
“What would you say if he did ask?” He gently pried, and glanced down nervously.

“I don’t know...I never really thought about him like that before. I’m also not sure about how Will would feel about me going on a date with one of his best friends.” She explained.   
“Oh? Yeah, right, of course. I didn’t even think of that.” He mused. 

El was confused as to why Mike was interested in her opinion of Dustin. Perhaps Dustin had asked him to investigate her feelings towards him? She wasn’t sure but she tried to shake it off. They played games for another hour or two without much incident and then the party left. On the car-ride home, El was squished in-between Mike and Dustin yet again. 

“Thank you guys for teaching me how to play Pac Man. Obviously not my strong suit, but it was cool to try.” El smiled at both Dustin and Mike. Dustin noticed that her smile was primarily aimed at Mike and rolled his eyes, feeling a bit dejected.  
“Of course! Anytime.” Mike said quickly, beating Dustin to the chase. He smiled back at her.

“So where are we sleeping tonight?” Will wondered.   
“Well obviously not my place.” Mike replied bluntly.  
“We could go to mine.” Lucas offered.   
“Sounds cool.” Dustin nodded.  
“Awesome. Let’s go back to my place so we can drop the girls off and I can pickup my stuff.” Will suggested.

Lucas agreed and they drove for another few minutes before arriving at the Byer’s house. Once they arrived, Will left the car and power walked inside to pack his stuff. 

“Thanks for the ride, stalker.” Max yelled to Lucas as she exited the car. Lucas smirked and honked the car horn at her once loudly as she walked towards the door. Max was startled by this and turned around to flip Lucas off playfully before she entered the house.

El was still smushed between the two boys so she knew she had to say something.  
“Uhm excuse me...” El looked to Mike as if to ask him to move so she could leave the vehicle.  
“Oh right! Yeah.” Mike blushed and exited the car, stepping aside once he was outside so she could exit as well.  
“Bye Lucas, thanks for the ride. Bye Dustin.” She smiled softly at them both as she left the car. 

“Bye Mike. I’ll see you around?” El faced him directly and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.  
“Yeah definitely!” He exclaimed, perhaps a bit too excited.   
“Cool.” She smiled and gave him a timid wave as she entered the house.

“What was that?” Lucas asked as Mike re-entered the car.  
“What do you mean?” Mike asked.  
“She has a thing for you.” Dustin admitted reluctantly, and crossed his arms.  
”Nah. She’s just being polite.” The tall boy shrugged and acted unaffected. Deep down, though, he hoped his friends were right.

”Yeah okay.” Lucas snorted.


	4. Spilt Milk and Gap Polos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hopper household has an unexpected morning visitor, and Mike happens to have an upcoming “special event” for which he needs a new shirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys I am sorry for the delay. Work was crazy and I was really sick last month. Hope you are all doing well and thank you for your continued support. Comments and kudos are always appreciated :)

Just a few days later on a Tuesday morning El entered the kitchen in her pajamas with a yawn. She heard some chatter which she assumed to be Joyce, Will, and Hopper. Still wiping the sleep out of her eyes, she poured herself a bowl of cereal and grabbed milk from the fridge. 

“Good morning honey!” Joyce greeted warmly from the kitchen table. “How did you sleep?”   
“Morning kid.” Hopper mumbled as he drank some more of his coffee and read the Hawkins Post.   
“Well thanks.” El turned to give Joyce and Hopper a smile as she poured milk into the bowl. When she finally glanced at the table she was bewildered to see Mike there. 

“Mike?” Her eyes widened and her voice squeaked. 

“Hi El.” Mike smiled at her warmly, not even noticing or caring that she was in her pajamas. 

So shocked by his appearance at this early hour El did not realize she was still pouring the milk, and it overflowed over the top of her bowl. A puddle of milk now laid on the ground near her feet. 

“Crap.” El sighed and put the cover back on the milk before running to go grab paper towels. 

“Oh here, let me help.” Mike quickly grabbed some napkins from the table and stood up from his seat. He sprung into action and knelt down to put the napkins over the milk spill just as El returned with the paper towels. He dried up the spill in just a few seconds. She sighed, a bit frustrated that he had cleaned up her mess and annoyed that he witnessed this embarrassing event altogether. 

“Thanks.” El mumbled nervously. “I’m such a klutz.” The corners of her lips shifted downward into a frown. 

Mike stood up and threw away the mess of wet napkins. “Hey don’t sweat it. No use crying over spilt milk, eh?” He nudged her teasingly, hoping to get a chuckle out of her. 

El silently shook her head in disbelief and bit back the semblance of a smile. She took a spoon out of the drawer and sat down at the kitchen table with her bowl of cereal. Mike returned to his seat at the kitchen table as well, receiving a subtle glare from Will as he did so. The taller teen just ignored it and went back to eating his breakfast. 

“Can I get a warning next time we’re having company this early in the morning?” El sighed and shot Will a hopeful look.   
“I second that. Dealing with two teenagers every morning is really enough for me.” Hopper snorted.   
“Sorry. It’s just Mike.” Will shrugged, not thinking his misstep was a big deal.   
  
“Yes well I’d prefer Mike not see me in my PJs again if possible.” El blushed slightly.  
“Sorry if I startled you. Will and I are working on a new D&D campaign and I have work in the afternoon so we wanted to get an early start.” Mike explained.   
“Oh cool.” She said awkwardly as she went back to eating her cereal. El wanted to talk to Mike more and ask questions about the game but feared the watchful eyes of her family. 

———

Two days later at around noon El worked at the Gap in the mall. She was placing some new women’s clothing arrivals on the racks at the front of the store when she recognized a familiar face. El froze in her tracks for a moment but then glanced back down and continued working. She figured if he wanted to talk to her he would be the one to strike up a conversation. 

Mike perused the men’s section at the front of the store, cluelessly. He began walking further back in the store when he spotted El standing by a clothing rack in the women’s section. 

“El hi!” He said somewhat excitedly as he walked over to her.   
“Oh hey. What are you doing here?” El smiled and tried to sound casual as he approached, but probably failed.   
“Uh shopping. Unfortunately...” Mike sighed.   
“What for? Special event?” She wondered.   
“Yeah uh...Family barbecue on July 4th...not sure what to wear.” He lied. Mike didn’t actually have any special events coming up but a part of him hoped that might change.   
“Sounds like fun. Do you want help finding something?” El offered sweetly.   
“Yeah that’d be great actually.” He smiled softly. 

“Okay well maybe just a nice shirt or something. Come, follow me..” El lead the way to the men’s section.   
“I don’t even know where to start.” He shook his head.   
  
“Hmm..what about this?” She held up a plain red polo shirt so he could see it.   
“Not bad. Red is very eye-catching though.” Mike noted as he took the red polo from her.   
“I see. Okay let’s grab it in blue, then. You can try both on.” She grabbed the polo in blue and handed that to him as well.

“Let’s go.” She waved for him to follow with her hand and led him to where the dressing rooms were.   
“I’ll wait outside. You should come out when you’re done so I can give you my honest opinion.” El said. 

“Okay. Be right back.” Mike entered the dressing room and changed into the red polo shirt first. He gulped and tried to fix his hair before he walked back out. “What do you think?” Mike questioned nervously.   
“Wow.” El smiled softly.   
“That bad?” Mike frowned, not realizing she meant it as a compliment.   
“No! It’s a good wow. You look really nice. But here..let me fix your collar.” El reached up and straightened his collar. Her hands grazed his shoulders as she smoothed out the wrinkles.

Mike smiled as she did this and found himself entranced by being so close to her. “Thanks.”

El bit her lip and blushed when she realized she had invaded his personal space quite a bit.   
“S-sorry.” She stepped away quickly and glanced down at her feet, embarrassed. 

“It’s fine. Should I try the blue one on now so we can compare?” He asked eagerly, clearly looking for any reason to spend more time with her.   
“Uhm I don’t know if I can. My boss will probably catch me if I don’t go back to fixing the racks soon...the red looks great on you. But blue looks nice on you too. Ultimately it’s your choice.” She smiled up at him and let her eyes finally meet his gaze again.   
  
“I’m going to go with the red. I trust you.” He smiled back at her. “Sorry for disturbing you at work.” He said apologetically.   
“Don’t be sorry. It’s good to see you.” El bit her lip and nervously ran a hand through her hair. 

“So uhm I was wondering if you had some time this weekend if you maybe wanted to grab lunch or an ice cream or something?” Mike stuttered over the words as they fell from his lips.   
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” El sighed.   
“Oh right. It was a dumb suggestion anyways..” Mike’s face fell but he replied promptly, trying to hide his disappointment. 

“No! Not dumb at all. It’s just Hopper can be very protective and I don’t know how it’ll make Will feel.” El started to ramble nervously.   
“Oh. I wasn’t really thinking about that, honestly. I mean I told Will that I was interested in getting to know you better and I kind of wouldn’t shut up about it and that pissed him off so maybe you’re right...” Mike shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he began to ramble. 

“You were talking to him about me?” El blushed slightly. “As much as I don’t want to upset Will, I also think it’d be cool to get to know you better.” She looked up at him and smiled softly.   
“Yeah?” Mike asked with a dumbfounded smile on his face.   
“Yes.” El nodded, still smiling back. 

“What if we don’t tell him? I mean it’s just an ice cream. It’s not like we’re getting married.” Mike suggested with an awkward chuckle.   
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.” She smiled and bit back a chuckle. “I can have Max drop me at your house or something on Saturday evening, if that works for you?”   
  
“Yes. Is 7:00 okay?” Mike wondered.   
“Sounds great.” El smiled.   
“Awesome! I’m going to go now..I’ll see you then.” He started to walk towards the exit.   
“Mike wait!” El said rather loudly as she followed him toward the exit.   
  
“What?” He turned around and smiled.   
She wordlessly pointed to the red polo shirt in his hand and smirked.   
“Oh. Right.” He blushed and walked towards the cash register trying to hide his embarrassment. 

El chuckled softly and then returned to work with a giddy smile on her face and some extra pep in her step. 


	5. Temporarily Abandoned/Discontinued

Hi guys I have become the literal worst at updating this fic. The original idea was so cute but I just haven’t had much inspiration to write lately. If anyone is interested in taking over this story or just using the plotline in general feel free to let me know. Thank you all for reading and commenting. 

PS If you haven’t already—check out my other Mileven fic which is finished and complete!


End file.
